United States Department of DefenseNo. 1117-05IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 31, 2005DoD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Soldier who was
supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

For further information related to this release,
contact Army Public Affairs at (703) 692-2000.

Fairfax Station man killed in
Iraq

A 20-year-old Edison High School graduate from
Fairfax Station who volunteered for combat service was killed in Iraq Friday,
less than a year after enlisting in the military.

Private First Class Dillon M. Jutras, part
of the U.S. Army's famed 75th Ranger Regiment, died in the country's Al
Anbar Province Oct. 28 from injuries sustained while conducting combat
operations, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command public
affairs office. He was in the regiment's 3rd battalion.

“The pride his family feels for Dillon's achievements
is immeasurable. ... He will always be in the hearts of those whose lives
he touched,” the Jutras family said in a released statement.

Jutras, an Army Ranger rifleman based out of
Fort Benning, Georgia, was deployed to Iraq this past August in support
of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He enlisted in the Army in December 2004, an
uncle said.

His military awards and decorations include
the Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National
Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Parachutist badge.

“He was just a healthy, strong athletic guy,”
said Steve Silvey, Jutras' uncle.

He said Jutras was a fan of running and played
soccer in high schools and clubs in both Virginia and North Carolina. Other
loves included bowling, his 1986 Dodge pickup truck and rock music from
the 1980s. However, most of all, “he loved his family,” Silvey said.

Jutras, born in Fayetteville, North Carolina,
according to Army officials, was posthumously recommended for the Bronze
Star Medal with “V” device, Purple Heart and the Army Commendation Medal.

According to the family, Jutras geared much
of his life to follow in the “footsteps” of his father, Pierre Jutras,
a major in the U.S. Army.

Jutras was a junior reserve officer training
cadet at Hoke County High School in North Carolina and at Edison in the
Alexandria section of Fairfax County. He was also involved in George Mason
University's senior ROTC program the year he was there.

Edison's Lieutenant Colonel Kurt Berry said
it is rare that a graduate of the county school system's JROTC program
enters the military so soon after high school. Since Jutras left Edison
just before he took over as department chair, Berry could not comment on
his death.

His family said Jutras decided to join the
Army while at GMU. A short time later, after finishing his initial military
training earlier this year, Jutras then told his commanders he wanted to
fight in Iraq.

As of Tuesday, the family had not yet made
plans for a memorial service. However, Jutras did express to them in the
past, Silvey said, that he wanted to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Soldier dies in IraqNovember 4, 2005

From the time Dillon Miles Jutras was a young
boy, he was trying to follow his father's lead.

The 20-year-old enlisted in the U.S. Army last
December - after spending his entire childhood around military bases and
a father, U.S. Army Major Pierre Jutras, whom he adored. On October 28,
Dillon, 2005, who was part of the elite Army Rangers, was killed during
combat operations in Iraq's Anbar province. He had been sent to the war-torn
area in August.

"He wanted to be a soldier. He always talked
about it and that's what he did," said his mother, Julia Jutras.

Since May 1, 2003, when President Bush declared
that major combat operations in Iraq had ended, 1,886 U.S. military members
have died, according to Associated Press' count. That includes at least
1,462 deaths resulting from hostile action, according to the military's
numbers.

The Jutras family is rooted in Anderson, despite
the fact that they now live in Fairfax, Va. Both Mrs. Jutras - whose maiden
name is Silvey - and Maj. Jutras were raised in Anderson County. They graduated
from Westside High School in the early 1980s, married, and moved to North
Carolina. After Dillon and his sister, Heather, were born, the couple moved
back to Anderson so Maj. Jutras could attend Clemson University.

As the family continued to move about from
Army base to Army base, Private Jutras' interest in the military grew.
Like his younger brothers and his sister, he would rifle through his father's
closet so he could slip on the over-sized military shoes and try on his
father's uniform, Mrs. Jutras said.

"We have pictures of all four of the kids in
somebody's uniform at some time or another," Mrs. Jutras said.

When Jutras entered high school, he joined
the Junior Reserve Office Training Corps. Once he graduated, he tried his
hand at college, enrolling in classes at George Mason University. But a
year later, he told his parents that he wanted to go ahead and enlist in
the military.

"He just said that college was not what he
wanted," Mrs. Jutras said. "He wanted to enlist, and we supported him completely."

The young man, who was athletic and physically
fit, made an easy fit for the Army Rangers. He was assigned to the 3rd
Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Benning, Georgia. Since
he was deployed to Iraq, he made it a point to call home about once a week.

On October 25, 2005, the Jutras family received
their last phone call from their oldest son. He was in "high spirits" and
talked to his parents about fixing up his beloved 1986 Dodge pickup truck.
When he called, he was writing thank-you notes to people who had sent him
care packages.

"It is just a huge loss," Mrs. Jutras said.
"We are crushed. He was so proud of what he was doing and we were proud
of what he was doing. His commitment to his family and his selfless service
to his country are reflections of what an honorable person he was."

Pfc. Jutras has been recommended for the Bronze
Star, the Purple Heart and an Army Commendation Medal. His funeral will
be held Monday and he will be laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery
with military honors.